The twins at 8 months

The twins @ 8 months

The boys are eight months old! They are two-thirds of the way to their first birthday. Incredible. These monkeys are getting louder, more mobile, funnier, more social, bigger, cuter, and sillier! We’re getting more and more confident bringing the boys out. We even went to an NBA game over the weekend (see recap below)! We are very brave… or just crazy:)

Things they’re doing: These days, you can find them sitting on their own for a couple of seconds (before a wobble or, more tragically and hilariously, a face plant). They light up when someone gives them attention. They laugh, giggle, and “talk” when you do the same. They’re “talking” is really a lot of baby babbling, but they’re actually making different sounds than before. We hear a lot of sounds beginning with a “d” or a “b” and the noises are sometimes accompanied by a lot of spit since they seem to be blowing raspberries at the same time. When they’re not getting what they want, you’ll hear them probably from the neighbor’s house as their lungs are truly capable of screaming beyond belief and their voices can reach pitches unheard of. They seem to have fun when being held in a position to extend their legs and “stand.” They also react and light up to their reflection in the mirror.

Stats update: At a previous visit to the doctor, they weighed in at about 18 lbs, but we won’t know until their nine-month check-up how long they measure.

Sleeping update: Even though both boys are sleeping pretty much the entire night, they will wake up (usually between 3 am and 4:30 am) and either start babbling or fussing/whining. Sometimes it turns into a full blown cry, but it also subsides soon enough for me to not intervene and let them wait until the usual 5:45/6 am when we first get them and give them their first bottle of the day. We may need sleep training in reverse: How to keep babies from being early risers! I mean, I love waking up early in the morning to get my day started, but I’m cool with 6/7 am, not 3/4 am!!!

Eating update: The boys are still mostly on breastmilk/formula, although I recently decided to stop pumping (will discuss this decision later. I actually have been wanting to write a post on breastfeeding/pumping overall. Hope it happens!) They boys eat baby food twice at daycare, but that’s about it. We haven’t been too successful with feeding baby food at home and need to really crank that up. I did make food myself for the first time thought! I microwaved sweet potatoes, pureed them and added some breastmilk, and the boys seemed to like them enough. Looking forward to making more food at home. The pre-packaged baby food is sure adding up and I would MUCH rather make food from scratch. My reasons for not doing so are being lazy and not having enough time, but I need to really stop with the excuses if I want to start our babies off right!

Adrian Joseph

This boy has conversations with us! Just a few days ago, I started responding to some of the noises he makes (not really noises, but actual, intentional sounds, just not actual words). What I found out was he was either imitating me back or responding. We would each make a one syllable sounds/noise (mine was “Hey”) and it went back and forth for quite a while! I thought it may have been a coincidence, but the hubs witnessed it not once or twice, but a few times, and he’s even done it himself! We’ve also done it in the car while AJ was in his carseat facing the rear and we are in the front. Super cute and amazing. Need to capture on video ASAP!

Other than that cool new thing, AJ has been overall pretty mellow, but don’t let that fool you! He can definitely scream his lungs out when he’s frustrated or not getting what he wants right away.

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JT @ 8 months

Jeremiah Tyler

This boy is full of DRAMA! He is definitely more fussy, intense, and crazy than his brother. They both cry and fuss, but for some reason, JT almost always needs to be held and throws a fit when you walk out of the room. He love to reach and grab things he sees, which is very adorable and also very dangerous! We really have to watch out what the boys can touch. Very soon, we’re going to have to baby proof the house finally. Before we know it, they’ll be mobile and exploring and getting into things we never thought they’d get into! Funny fact: JT loves the NuWave oven sitting on our island in the kitchen! Every time I walk by, he reaches out and wants to just bang his hands on top. I try use these little quirks to my advantage. For example, while I prepare a bottle, I’ll sit JT on the island in front of the NuWave while supporting his back and then use my free hand to get a bottle ready (yes, I have skills, I know). Other times, I’ll prop up one of the babies sitting by my leg while I change the other’s diaper. This is to really promote them sitting on their own.

I feel bad that we are not around more to help the babies with these milestones. I know they practice at daycare, but there are a lot of other kids there who need attention, too. I wish I could spend all day helping the boys sit better and even work on crawling. But those milestones will all get here when they need to and soon we’ll wish they would stay in one place just like they still do (unless they are scooting away or rolling back and forth enough to move across the room!).

Something fun I saw online a while ago and wanted to make my own version! It’s crazy that these boys were once in my belly. I never thought I’d say this, but there are times that I miss bed rest! No, I do not miss the limitations/restrictions I had, I don’t miss the back pain, I don’t miss the medication and endless visits to the doctor/hospital, I don’t miss all the pregnancy complications and scares… But I miss how easy it was to take care of the monkeys in my belly – I didn’t need to do anything! They ate, slept, pooped and peed (gross, I know) in my belly. They stayed in one place and I always knew they were there. I could take a nap anytime of the day, have my family cater to my every need, and I caught up on a ton of TV!

Look at them now. It’s seriously a blessing and miracle that they are here. And what’s even more beautiful is how healthy and happy they are! We are so grateful for these two.

I recently made the decision to stop pumping breastmilk. This was a very tough decision for me as breastfeeding and pumping can be very emotional and sensitive topics, especially for a new mother. On one hand, I am sad that I will no longer be providing my babies with the “good stuff” (as the hubs so sweetly calls it). I actually stopped nursing a few months ago, but I still feel like a bond between my babies and I is being taken away. Pumping milk for them is something only I could do and I was so determined to do my best for them. Despite all of my sadness, however, I am relieved! Hauling around that little pump and all the parts needed was getting to be too much. Washing the parts, having to remember to bring everything I needed, planning my schedule around pumping, remembering to throw the milk in the fridge or freezer right away… I will soon be free! I will also have more time on my hands and will be able to invest the time I would normally spend pumping and washing parts to the babies or other needed tasks or even just resting. I could go on and on about this topic, so I’ll stop here and save it for a separate post!

We brought the boys to their first the King’s game on Sunday! Tried to get on TV, but sadly we didn’t make it. We got tons of compliments on how cute the boys were from the people around us. These cuties always attract attention when we go out!

Our sign:

The boys and their “Kings Selfie!”

Family selfie! The boys did really well – they barely fussed and mainly just got restless. At one point, they even fell asleep! It helped a lot to wear them in baby carriers so our hands would be free. I was super nervous about bringing them to the game, but I’m glad we made it and I’m really glad we did it!